Filling the hungry gap for smaller farmland birds from late autumn through to late winter by providing a supply of small seeds on arable and horticultural
Up to 5.5 billion wild animals are being farmed in terrible conditions and exploited for tourism, and for their fur, feathers, meat, or bile in the case of bears, according to a World Animal Protection report.
China tested thousands of animal samples to trace COVID-19 origins. (Representational)
Shanghai:
China and its neighbours must not only crack down on wildlife trade but also shut legal loopholes that allow disease-prone species to be farmed, experts said after an investigation team concluded that COVID-19 most likely originated in animals.
A World Health Organization-led study, published Tuesday, said it was likely to very likely that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the global pandemic, was introduced to humans from bats via an intermediary species, with wildlife farming playing a crucial role.
Tong Yigang, a Chinese animal disease expert involved in the joint study, said the findings vindicated Beijing s decision last year to ban trade in wildlife for human consumption.